Electric-wire-wrapping machine



Aug. 3 1926. 1,594,492

, E. G. BROWN ELECTRIC WIRE WRAPPING MACHINE I Filed March 3, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 3 1926.

E. G. BROWN ELECTRIC WIRE WRAPPING MACHINE Filed March 5. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a JV)- ;6 57 w 21 2a jib 0 z3 7 k I 5 HQ? as W Wh W Patented Aug. 3, I 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST .G. BROWN, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE ACME WIRE CO., OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

ELECTRIC-WIRE-WRAPPING MACHINE.

Application filed March 8, 1925.

My invention relates to electric wire wrapping machines of which the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the characters of reference marked thereon, is a full, clear, and exact description, and which said drawings constitute part of this application, and represent, in e Fig. 1, a broken view in front elevation of one form which a machine constructed in accordance with my invention may assume.

Fig. 2, a top or plan view of the polishing-unit with the frame broken away.

Fig. 3, a view in vertical section on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

My invention relates to an improvement in machines for wrapping electric wire with insulating material, such as silk or cotton,

the object being to greatly improve the quality and appearance of the product without materially increasing its cost.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in a wire-wrapping machine characterized by the independent rotation about the wire of the wrapping and the polishing units of the machine, whereby they may be run in opposite directions.- I

In carrying out my invention, as herein. shown, the insulating material, in the form of a narrow, unwoven ribbon of filaments 5 is fed through a guide 6 from a spool,7 carried by a cup-like spool-holder 8 mounted on a vertically-arranged spindle 9 having a central, longitudinal passage 10 through which the .wire 11 is drawn upward by any suitable means from a source of supply located below the machine. The said spindle has bearing in and is supported by the horizontal lower member 12 of a suitable frame, and mounts a pulley 13 connected by a crossed belt 14 with a driving-pulley 15 on the lower end of a driving-shaft 16, also having bearing in the said frame-member 12. The parts thus far described constitute what I may term the wrapping-unit of the machine.

Turning now to the polishing-unit of the machine, the. upper end of the said driving-shaft 16 has bearing in a horizontal upper frame-member l7 and mounts a pulley 18 connected by a belt 19 with a pulley 20 on a vertically-arranged spindle 21 located above and in line with the spindle 9 aforesaid and running in two ball-bearings to which I have applied the general reference character 22, and which are mounted in a bi- Serial No. 12,900.

against the smooth walls of a substantially semi-circular groove 27, which virtually forms a part of the passage 24, and results from cutting the upper end of the spindle 21 away, as at 25, to expose the wrapped Wire. As shown in Fig. 2, the spindle is transversely cut away something more than one-half for such exposure of the wrapped wire, but the character of the cut is immaterial, so long as a portion of the wrapped wire is exposed to the contact of the polishing-plate 26. The said plate 26 has a shank 28 passing outwardly through a hole 29 in the horizontal arm 30 of a polisherhead 31, pivotally mounted upon the upper end of a vertical post- 32, the lower end of which is mounted in a collar 33 secured to the spindle 21 just below the transversely cut-away portion 25 thereof. The polishing-plate 26 is loosely held in the arm 30 by two pins 34 passing through the shank 28 on opposite sides of the arm. 30. For forcing the polishing-plate 26 into engagement with the wrapped wire, as it travels upward th ugh the machine, I employ a helical spring 34 encircling the post 32 and having its upper end entered into the head 31, while its lower end is entered into the post, as shown in Fig. -1.

Heretofore, in wire-covering machines of the character described, the polishing device, whatever its character, has been organized with the wrapping-mechanism so as to rotate therewith around the wire as upon an axis.

In my improved mechanism, on the other hand, the means for applying the insulation and for polishing the same are independently organized, so that the speed of the polisher may be regulated so as to secure the best results with any given size of wire, any type of fibre insulation, and any conditions of temperature and humidity.

While I do not limit myself to any specific mode of operation, I have secured the best results by rotating the polishing-unit 1n the opposite direction from the wrapping unit. Y

In the operation of the machine, the wire 11 is drawn upwardly by any suitable means in the customary manner through the hollow spindles 9 and 21. As it emerges from the upper end of the spindle9, it is spirally wrapped with a ribbon of silk or cotton threads 5 rapidly revolved-about it by the spindle. So wrapped, the wire travels upward through the spindle 21, ultimately passing under the polishing-plate 26, which revolves about it with the s indle 21 and smooths it, so that all trace 0 the joints between the convolutions of the ribbon 5 are eliminated and so that it presents a highly polished, unbroken surface of minute fila- -ments, which will not be appreciably dis;

rupted when the wire is bent and which vide adequate insulation'for it.

I claim: In a machine for wrapping electric wire, the combination with separately-organized wrapping and polishing units, of means for revolvin around t e wire, as the same is successively prosubjected to the action of the said indethe same in opposite directionspendently-organized wrapping andpolishing uni In testimony specification ERNESTjG. BROWN.

whereof, I have signed this 

